Waterless Wells
by PlanetOfTheWeepingWillow
Summary: The world is overcome by a zombie apocalypse, leaving only a few alive to scour the world, in search of the South, where palm trees still grow and the water is pure. Human AU (more info inside)
1. Who Woulda Guessed?

**Waterless Wells**

**Synopsis: The world is overcome by a zombie apocalypse, leaving only a few alive to scour the world, in search of the South, where palm trees still grow and the water is pure. Human AU**

**Genre: Sci-fi, survival, action**

**Characters: Every single one. I'm not kidding. Every single canon character and all the nyos are here. Yes, even 2Ps. So chances are your favorite will be in here.**

**Rating: T (violence mostly, some graphic descriptions)**

**Pairings: Nothing planned**

**PART I **

**1. ****Who Woulda Guessed?**

Maybe people were joking about a zombie apocalypse, but as luck would have it that fantasy became a reality. Who would have guessed?

A great deal of things happened during this time, but the virus spread so fast and ate up the world so quick that nothing they did happened to work. Only two plans actually succeeded: going on your own or staying with a group. This did not include hiding in a cellar or starting riots.

When it started the government decided to take action, they drafted a good deal of soldier to attack them and keep them away from secluded areas of people. This idea did not last long and crumbled in under a year.

Those who did survive were people who clumped together and ran away and those who slipped through the boundaries with backpacks and a strong will to survive.

This was one year ago.

The zombies only multiplied in number.

People were spread out across the globe.

However, our story begins and ends in the Americas. When the virus was still starting only to awaken, rumors spread. They insisted that America was the safest place to be at the time. Very few people agreed, but the governments knew.

The disease started in Europe, in a cold laboratory tucked away in the depths of a city. Inside two scientists, a scrawny young man and a woman were trying to find a cure for all the diseases.

They were not properly funded because of the outrageousness of the idea and had to find their own way through. They worked up money, working side by side ever since their friendship started in the fourth grade. They mowed lawns, shoveled snow, worked in grocery stores, counted every penny and held on tightly. The dream in their head was unmovable and they chased after it with all their might.

Now, sitting in their tiny, unheated lab, they experimented on rats and mice with all the vigor of a mad scientist. The pulled and pricked, and finally something began to appear.

At first it was unnoticeable. This new virus attacked bacteria, as all bacteriophages do. It did so quickly.

"What if we use that against another virus?" the man said, scratching his neck and craning over the microscope.

"We could try," the woman responded. She was tired. It was nearing three a.m. and she wanted to go home just as badly as anyone, no matter how much she loved her job. It had been three years and still no progress. They tried anything now.

So they did. They put the bacteriophage with other viruses, knowing how foolish they were.

Then something amazing happened. The viruses were all gone, consumed, dead.

Excited, they put it on one infected rat and called it a day.

The next morning they returned and the rat was completely healthy, twitching its little nose and nipping at everything. For two weeks it got better and better. They noted its health, not wanting to celebrate just yet, but they had the champagne bottles ready just in case.

Sadly, that's where the problem starts.

The rat grew sickly. Its fur fell off and its pupils dilated consuming the entire eye. They became a chilly shade of blue and the claws stretched and flexed unnaturally. When by mistake one of the scientists opened the wrong cage and another one got in, it attacked it. It ripped at the flesh, biting and scratching and hissing. The other rat squealed, scraping against the glass.

The friends could do nothing but watch in enraptured horror. The beaten rat did not die. In a week's time it became just like the other one. The primary rat still frothed at the mouth and sought new prey. It did not appear to need water or food. When its paw was cut off it did not bleed or show any sign that anything had happened.

The other rat then was introduced to three others.

Every new infection took less and less time. Eventually the time from being bitten to the time the infection set in became two hours. It did not dwindle any further.

Upset that they had not found the ultimate cure, the two wondered if they ought to trash that idea and do something else. But then again this discovery, deadly as it was, was too good to just give up. They considered it and, in the end, decided that perhaps they should look into it a bit more.

Through the course of their studies, on accident, the man opened a cage to the infected rat and it pounced on him, scratching at his ungloved hand and biting it. He set it down, wondering if they could make a cure in two hours, and then paused. Maybe the disease only infected animals.

He could hope.

It did not. His skin turned bluish green, an infectious shade of decay, and it spread from his hand up. His hair thinned and his bones crumbled, becoming rotten. His skin bruised so easily, making him look like a rotten apple. He stood in wait, shivering as the pain consumed his body and his mind.

An hour later the woman returned from an evening out with a date, and spotted him in the corner, his back to her and his hands on his head, twitching and jerking violently. She approached him, wondering if it had to do with their social life. She saw the rat scurry along the floor, its rear end squished from where the man had stepped on it trying to shake it off. She felt her heart plummet.

She reached over, nonetheless, and touched his shoulder.

He whirled around, facing her with a sweating, diseased face.

"Oh no…" she whispered.

No both infected and without human morality, they found their way into the city, and thus the virus spread.

Since the disease could not fly over oceans, it became obvious that the Americas were a perfect place to settle humanity. Several countries sent a man and a woman out there, as though putting animals on the Arc to preserve a little of their culture. Other people went, boarding airplanes and zipping across the world, settling down.

Most did not survive. Only a lucky handful did.

Diseases have their way of spreading, just like bad news. People perished left and right.

There was one sort of immunity, however, and it was this: the disease could not infect a dead body.

There was one sort of cure, too: if the infected body part is removed within two hours, then the person may survive.

The Army that was set up to combat these zombies was armed and ready. Guns and other weapons were widely distributed throughout the country, so everyone had their own form of protection. Gun Laws flew right out the window.

Who woulda guessed?

Some areas had a greater amount of the undead wandering around than others. Some had virtually none. Some had only zombies. Some had nothing; living nor non-living.

Any standing building became a suitable shelter for the night.

And no matter what, don't be out after dark.

* * *

_I do not own Hetalia_

_This was mostly a prologue, so expect MUCH longer chapters in the future_

_Oh wow I'm so excited for this. I just hope someone reads it, though..._

_Since I will be using human names I will provide a list here: (huge thanks to deviantART's NekokaOtakuFreak's list!)_

**1P: **Alfred F. Jones - America, Arthur Kirkland - England, Francis Bonnefoy - France, Wang Yao - China, Kiku Honda - Japan, Ivan Braginsky - Russia, Feliciano Vargas - N. Italy, Lovino Vargas - Romano, Ludwig - Germany, Gilbert Beilschmidt - Prussia, Natalia Argaslovskaya - Belarus, Katrina - Ukraine, Florinda Maes - Belgium, Antonio C. - Spain, Quinn Kirkland - Scotland, Berwald O. - Sweden, Tino V. - Finland, Lukas - Norway, Emil - Iceland, Matthias - Denmark, Elizaveta - Hungary, Feliks L. - Poland, Toris - Lithuania, Matthew Williams - Canada, Roderich Edelstein - Austria, Vash Zwingli - Switzerland, Lili Zwingli - Liechtenstein, MeiMei - Taiwan, Xiang - Hong Kong, Logan Kirkland - Australia, Ricardo Cruz - Cuba, Gupta Hassan, Hercales Karpusi - Greece, Herman Maes - Holland, Neeraja Patel - India, Raivis - Latvia, Im Soo Young - S. Korea, Kasem Cho - Thailand, Sadiq - Turkey, Lien Chang - Vietnam

**Nyo: **Emily F. Jones - America, Alice Kirkland - England, Marie Bonnefoy - France, Sakura Honda - Japan, Anya Branginsky - Russia, Beatrice C. - Spain, Felicia - N. Italy

_And since I'm exhausted I'll do later on another chapter. But for now that's what you need. _

_I hope you'll have as much fun as I do writing it! I'm excited to see how it goes. _

_Also expect a lot of character death._


	2. Survival is the Only Option

**Waterless Wells**

**2. Survival is the Only Option**

Early morning light poured into the room, blanketing across the bed and couch where two figures slept. The sky was a greasy, damp sort of gray, heavy with clouds and dust. The motel was in a remote part of town, distant from the shops but still easily accessible. The room itself was small and cramped, being host to a couch, a desk, a bed, and a door that stood ajar, exposing a bathroom on the other side.

The figures slowly stirred. The one on the bed sat up and yawned, looking around and falling silent as her ears pricked at attention. Nothing stirred. She sighed and stretched out, swinging her legs over the bed and standing up. She tightened the laces on her sneakers, pulling her socks up and pushing her jeans over them. Unlike most people, she had dressed in proper clothing. Her shirt, a blouse with the sleeves rolled up, fit her and was comfortable, albeit stained in several areas. Her silvery hair was tied in a braid and tucked into her shirt, so as not to get in her way. Her long face was pale, hosting two sharp eyes.

She went over to the couch and woke the figure sleeping there. The woman blinked awake, looking up at the other bent over her.

"Come on, Florinda, we better get going before the entire city wakes up." She said and stomped off into the bathroom.

Florinda stretched, holding her arms out. When she had to make a run for it, she had been at a party and could leave with only the clothes on her back: a black satin dress, high heels, and her purse. She had some money on there and she went to the ATM that day, draining it of money and buying herself some good shoes with the rest of it. She still wore the dress, however, since time had been short. It now had lost its glossy look and appeared more like white-washed cloth now. She grabbed her purse and checked to make sure the firearm was still inside, brushing her blonde curls from her face.

In the bathroom, the silver haired woman named Natalia, woke the figure sleeping in the bathtub. It was a man who had tagged along with them some time ago, dressed in a thick coat and jeans.

"Wake up Lovino," she hissed and went back out, slinging her bag over her shoulder and taking a knife and putting it at her side. She wasn't very good with guns and chose to saddle on as many knives as she could.

Lovino grumbled and stood up, his back sore from his unkind bed. He climbed out of the tub and looked at it. Rust stained the stagnant faucet. There would be no water in there for a very long time. He pushed back his overly long curly, copper-colored hair from his eyes and went to the group in the main room.

Natalia went to the door and pressed her ear to it, lowering her eyelids and listening. When she heard no sound she pushed the chair away from the door and unlocked it. She peered down the long hallways. Windows on either end pooled in light, catching billions of dust flakes and illuminating them like stars. Satisfied, she shut the door again and went to where Florinda and Lovino were chatting. She dug three cans of asparagus and tossed one to each person, taking her knife and opening her own. She chewed in silence.

Florinda pouted playfully and shrugged her shoulders, opening her can by striking it against the desk's corner. "Goodness, how did I come across such downers?" she whined.

Lovino scowled at her and wolfed down the meal, even if he didn't really fancy the thin green vegetable. It was better than nothing. A rifle was strung across his back. He would rather have a machine gun, no matter how light, to combat those disgusting, drooling creatures prowling the streets.

In fact, when he met Natalia and Florinda, he had been searching for one. He begged and offer with those who were lucky enough to own some, but none were so foolish as to trade money for their survival tools. Besides, those pieces of paper would no longer mean a thing once the virus really got going. He was cursing at one of those people when he bumped into Natalia. She rounded on him and held him by the arm, her fingers dug into his shoulder.

"What's your problem?" he said, tearing away from her.

Florinda had been so kind as to suggest they let him tag along.

"Tag along where?"

"We're getting out of here. These dense populations will just spread the virus more quickly." Natalia explained without an ounce of emotion in her voice.

Lovino weighed his options and finally agreed. His brother, Feliciano Vargas, had vanished somewhere long ago. Feliciano wasn't one to lose so easily. He would find his way eventually, catch a breeze and ride it along as far as it would take him.

After joining him they went to the remotest part of the country, purchasing food and supplies to last them. Once Natalia guessed it was time to ditch the place, they left and since then have been jumping from place to place, trying to head somewhere. She really didn't know where.

Once they finished their meals, Natalia collected the cans and poured the water out of them, keeping one of them and putting it in her bag. The other two she threw away in the plastic trash can by the desk.

"Better than littering," she muttered and gestured for them to follow her.

They left the room, taking some supplies with them, like a towel, and headed quietly down the halls. None of them knew much about zombies, except that if they bite you you're a goner unless you amputate that part of your body. They also knew that they react to sound, or heat. They really didn't know much. All they were absolutely certain of was that they had to survive and stick together, no matter how odd their group was.

At the bottom of the stairs Natalia stopped abruptly, gesturing for them to hush and remain put. She crept down and examined the halls, looking down that way and this, curling her lip in and biting it. She didn't hear anything, but the smell of decay stuck to the air. She waved her hand and they followed.

No one had said it, but Natalia was leader. She had placed herself in that position, having brought the group together and leading them relentlessly. She was stern, intelligent, and fast, too. She placed her thin fingers on the wall, tracing it behind her and then letting her hand drop to her side.

After what seemed like an hour of quiet moving and inspecting, they finally made it outside. The air was dry and hard to breath. Dust floated an inch about the ground, flooding the streets. The road before radiated with heat. The sun beat down, slicing through the clouds. When one thick one rolled over it, only then was a little relief from the hot offered.

They went by the road, led by Natalia who held her knife before her like a gun. Behind her Lovino inspected the scene, scratching his neck his thumb occasionally. In the back, Florinda walked lightly, her footsteps hardly making a sound. She scanned the scene, twisting her pink lips to one side.

She met Natalia at that party. She had been out drinking with some friends, happily chuckling. Natalia prowled through the crowd, looking through the crowds for a compatible partner. Her siblings were way on the other side of the country. She had a plan she wanted to follow. She knew what to do, but she didn't want to do it alone. She couldn't call up for some relative, since they were either too far away or too sick to be with her. Anyone would do, so long as they felt right. She spotted Florinda on the bar stools, stirring the ice in her drink with a straw. Natalia came up to her and, sucking in a deep breath, curled her fingers around the warm arm.

Florinda wore a black ribbon in her hair, tied in a bow at her neck. She looked at Natalia with large, green eyes.

No matter how strange the words tasted on her lips, Natalia said: "come with me if you want to live."

Florinda was too shocked to laugh or react. Natalia tugged at her arm and she had no choice but to stand up and follow. Natalia briefed her on the plan and she saw the sense in it, though she felt a little sad for leaving her friends. They wove through the crowd. Natalia shoved with her free arm and shot anyone who dared call her on it with an icy stare.

"Why me, though?" Florinda asked.

"I'll explain soon." Natalia said. She hasn't in the three weeks since.

That night after they purchased Florinda some shoes, they met Lovino. Natalia didn't want a group any bigger than that and reluctantly let him join, only since Florinda asked.

Now on the hot, dusty road, she thought about asking her. She opened her mouths to speak but Natalia hushed her at once. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes narrowed as she watched the town before them. She kept her eyes locked on it, seeing what she could from the distance. There was a good fifteen minutes from here to there, but her eyes were good when it came down to it.

Something moved. A creature, blue and stumbling along, moved in the shadows. As far as she could see, there was only one. She raised her shoulders and went forwards, telling Lovino to ready his rifle. He nodded and readied it. It made a metallic click all too familiar to Florinda.

They went into the city and could see three of those nasty creatures slinking about. Their heads snapped to face the group in unison.

Survival was not an option. There was no other choice but to plunge headlong.

Lovino raised his gun before Natalia could attack and shot them all down. They fell to the ground, their heads blown to bits. Of course, they weren't really dead, but they were removed as a threat for the time being. They went over and Natalia plunged into one of their necks, stabbing and poking until she discovered a nerve. She tore that and at once the zombie stopped moving and fell like a husk.

"Aha…" she grinned briefly and did the same to the rest of them.

"There's a nerve in their necks. If you get rid of that you get rid of their life force. Keep that in mind." Natalia added, looking as close to gleeful as she could.


End file.
